Zurich to join Emirates A380 network early next year

5 June 2013

DUBAI, U.A.E., 5th June 2013: Emirates, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, will boost its services to Switzerland with the start of a daily A380 service to Zurich.

From 1st January 2014, EK087 from Dubai to Zurich and its return sector EK088 will be operated by an A380, offering an increased capacity of more than 1,100 additional seats every week in each direction. The service is currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates will continue to serve Zurich with a double daily operation, which will equate to more than 870 seats on offer per day.

“The strategic decision to bring our flagship A380 to Zurich was made to support the city’s strong position as a financial services hub and centre for a vast number of international companies. There has been robust demand for business and leisure traffic and the extra capacity will stimulate more trade and tourism between Switzerland, the UAE and emerging markets eastbound - including 10 destinations in India and 24 destinations in the Far East and Australasia - connecting both people and economies,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President, Passenger Sales Worldwide.

Emirates will serve Zurich with its flagship Airbus A380 from 1 January 2014.

“Travellers from Switzerland will soon be able to enjoy the Emirates’ A380, being seamlessly connected through the Dubai hub to our dynamically growing network, providing connectivity to global hubs in Asia and Australia such as Bangkok, Sydney and Singapore. These markets, which are positioned as economic and tourism centres, are served with multiple daily flights,” added Mr Antinori.

“The decision of Emirates to operate its flagship aircraft on one of its two daily flights to Zurich represents another milestone for Zurich Airport and demonstrates the strong demand from travelers for the Emirates product. The upgrade from a Boeing 777 operation to an A380 on the afternoon flight from Zurich is a significant capacity increase and a clear commitment to the Swiss market,” said Thomas Kern, CEO Zurich Airport.

The A380 capacity boost on the flights to Zurich will further stimulate trade between the UAE and Switzerland, supporting a buoyant $9 billion USD trade relationship, according the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade. Over 169 Swiss companies operate in Dubai and SkyCargo supports movement of goods such as precious metals, watches, jewelry, heavy machinery and pharmaceuticals, giving local businesses greater access to foreign markets.

The A380 is spread over two decks offering 427 seats in Economy Class, 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites. Each Emirates’ A380 offers an Onboard Lounge on the upper deck for Premium Class passengers. First Class passengers have the added luxury of two Onboard Shower Spas.

Passengers across all cabins can enjoy watching their favourite movies, TV programmes, and more than 1,400 channels of ice, the award-winning in-flight entertainment system, while enjoying gourmet-chef prepared cuisine. Passengers can also stay connected to the internet throughout their journey with high-speed Wi-Fi access.

Emirates is the largest A380 operator in the world, with 34 A380s in its fleet and 56 on order, and has carried almost 17 million passengers since the double decker was introduced five years ago. Since January of this year, Emirates’ A380 passengers have been able to experience the world’s first purpose built A380 concourse in Dubai, reflecting further investment in the airline’s global hub, which is set to grow to a capacity of 90 million passengers by 2018.

From 1st January 2014, the new A380-supported EK 087 flight will depart Dubai at 0825hrs and arrive in Zurich International Airport at 1220hrs. The return flight, EK 088, will leave Zurich at 1435hrs and arrive in Dubai at 2340hrs.